More Time
by DoomedSometimes
Summary: Norma and Alex get married, share a first kiss, go on a date, consummate their marriage, and fall in love. What happened during all the time they spent together? Scenes in between the scenes.
1. Expectations

**A/N: This story is a personal wish that I had wanted to write for a long time. It's also an effort in trying to fill in the gaps of each Normero scene we saw during S4. I wish we had more of them and I want to create all those little moments that might have happened but we didn't see. This will mostly stay canon to what we saw but it could have a few alternate bits down the line just so you know. Also, I'm not done with Serendipity yet, just in case you're also reading that one. I'll keep both of them going while I can. As always, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Norma sits in her car, hands on the wheel, but unable to move yet. Her face is still looking surprised and even a little shocked.

 _'Till death do you part.'_

 _'I now pronounce you husband and wife.'_

 _'You may kiss the bride.'_

The words keep repeating themselves in her brain. Even though she was prepared to take this step, or so she thought, she now can barely believe she actually did it. She married Alex Romero, Sheriff of White Pine Bay. The man who once arrested and charged her with murder. The same man who later found a way to cover up and dismiss her crime. The man who accepted her proposal for an arranged marriage of convenience so she could help her son.

That man also surprised her today with the most beautiful ring. She takes a look down at her hand, feels the weight of the ring on her finger, and admires how the morning light catches on the diamond. Is this a real diamond? She puts her hand back on her lap, as if the mere thought of having such an expensive looking and pretty thing on her hand was a ridiculous one, something she shouldn't deserve.

Alex Romero is her husband now. He's also the man who kissed her, not one but two times, a mere 15 minutes ago. She smiles without realizing she's doing it, when she remembers the soft kiss he pressed on her lips. God, when was the last time she was kissed so softly? She at first thought he wouldn't go along with it, but then saw how he turned more fully towards her, how he looked at her eyes and then for a split second at her mouth, and she knew he was going to kiss her.

Honestly, she was not expecting such a sweet kiss from him, but he surprised her in that way too. She felt how he gently put his hand on her neck and caressed her cheek with his thumb as he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It was a nice kiss. Their first kiss. Norma smiles consciously now at the recent memory.

Then outside City Hall, after an exasperated Alex explained to her why he needed to move in with her, he kissed her again, quicker and more unexpectedly this time. She was dumbfounded for a second, but soon recovered when he asked her 'You all right?' He actually managed to look irritated by her and to steal a kiss from her all after only five minutes of marriage.

"Bastard." She chuckles and puts the car on drive.

* * *

Norma arrives home with a bag full of fresh groceries and a plan to clean and get the house ready. She starts by cleaning the fridge, tossing old food leftovers, and leaving it spotless. She's been so busy the last couple of days, weeks even, with Norman's situation and his subsequent admission to Pineview last night that she had barely had time to clean and organize the house the way she likes to do. And now Alex is arriving today after work. She sighs in annoyance. She must clean and get everything ready for her new guest.

Is he technically a guest? They're married after all. Is he going to be a 'roommate' like he said? Is he going to be messy like when he stayed down in Room 11? Either way she takes great pride in a house well run and so she spends most of the afternoon in maid mode.

Bathroom is cleaned, fresh towels are left on the rack, and she even clears a small space on top of the sink in case Alex wants to put his toothbrush there. She puts clean sheets in what was Dylan's bed and finds a place to put his Weed World magazines out of sight. She also leaves flowers on a vase.

When she is going down the stairs, basket of dirty laundry in hand, the door to her bedroom catches her eye.

 _I know you're attracted to me. I'll sleep with you. I don't care. I really don't. I just need you to do this for me._

She remembers her own words to Alex. Raising an eyebrow she thinks she should put fresh sheets on her bed too. He kept his end of the bargain by marrying her and she did offer to have sex with him in return. Maybe tonight he'll want to collect her part of the deal. This is an arranged marriage after all.

So she makes her bed, fresh and clean sheets now covering the mattress. The bed in which she has slept alone all this time. Maybe that'll change soon. No man has ever been here, aside from Norman that is, but a son is a poor substitute for a lover. She misses the intimacy and the physical part. She's a woman with needs too. She doesn't feel an ounce of regret. She will do anything for Norman. Even sleeping with a man she doesn't love. She has slept with far desirable men for less than that too. This one at least is Alex. She takes a deep breath and leaves her bedroom. There's still laundry left to do.

* * *

'There's a man in my house. There's a man in my house and is not Dylan or Norman.' Norma thinks as she looks to the kitchen's ceiling with a terrified expression on her face. She then hears the movements on the second floor where Alex is presumably moving some furniture around, or maybe just unpacking. He sure is making a lot of noise, she thinks.

She hears the door to Dylan's room closing and then steps on the stairs and she quickly makes herself busy chopping some peppers. Alex comes into the kitchen and starts talking about how the whole town already knows that they are married and something about going out to dinner. Norma becomes even more anxious as she hears all this. By the time Alex comes closer to her and touches her elbow, she's angrily whacking the vegetables and telling him in a tense tone all the reasons she can't go out with him tonight.

But with a gentle touch and a soothing voice, and the promise of alcohol to ease her nerves, she relaxes in an instant. She doesn't know why he has the special ability to calm her but he does.

"Get dressed. Okay, we're going to dinner." Alex speaks in a reassuring statement, still having that hypnotizing effect on her, and leaves her alone in the kitchen.

Norma recovers from their interaction and goes upstairs. She reaches the top of the stairs, and behind the closed door of the bathroom she hears the shower running.

She goes into her bedroom and starts looking for an appropriate outfit for tonight. When she hears the bathroom door open a slight tremor runs through her and she can't explain why but thinking about Alex taking a shower in her bathroom is a strange feeling. She waits until she hears him closing the bedroom door after him before she goes out of her own bedroom and disappears into the bathroom too.

Thirty minutes later Norma takes a last look at her reflection in the mirror. She's pleased at the way her hair is curlier around her face, and the evening makeup she applied on, and the pretty dangling earrings and black lace dress she hasn't worn in a long time. She did not dress up for Alex, though. This is a very different feeling than when she put on her sexy little black dress for that dinner date with George a long time ago. She feels different tonight. But she and Alex are married now and this is supposed to be a night of celebration and she has to play the part. The million butterflies in her stomach tell her that this is still an act they have to put up with for the sake of their cover up.

She goes out the hallway and stops momentarily by the short hallway leading to Dylan's room, the one that is now Alex's room, and calls softly for him.

"Alex?" Her voice is slightly trembling too. She needs to get a grip. Where's that alcohol he mentioned? By response she hears a noise downstairs so she heads down that way.

Alex is sitting on the sofa flipping uninterestedly through the pages of one of Norma's home decoration magazines.

"Uhh, I'm ready." Norma offers in a flat tone.

He stands up quickly as soon as he hears her. He takes one look at her, noticing how her eyebrow rises impatiently, just as it did at City Hall.

"You look nice." Alex tells her even though he really wants to say more. What he really wants to say is how beautiful she looks but he knows she's on edge, so he keeps the compliments to a minimum.

She offers him a tight lipped smile for a second upon hearing his compliment.

"Thanks. You… you look nice too." She says trying to be polite.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah."

Alex watches Norma from the corner of his eye as he drives his issued SUV. She is tense; her posture rigid, looking nothing like a newlywed who's going to spend a nice night out with her new husband. He understands. Last night was hard on her. Seeing her cry and running after Norman, and him being so unaffected by her cries and pleas was a sad situation to say the least. He felt horrible watching both of them looking so broken in that moment. He could only imagine what it must have been like for Norma. He tries to engage her in some kind of light conversation.

"I hope you like Italian."

"Mmm? Oh, yeah. That's fine." She replies uninterested. Her fingers keep fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. Her eyes trained out the window. She'd rather be anywhere but here and he knows it.

* * *

Alcohol did make things better.

They were both so uncomfortable and in so much need to lighten up, that before they even looked at the menu, Alex ordered a bottle of champagne and they started drinking it.

As he topped her glass over and over, and then the wine arrived too, conversation started flowing more freely and Norma's giggles started to fill the air. Alex couldn't help but smile and laugh continually with her, her laughter was contagious. She looked radiant.

The drive back home was completely different.

"But you didn't tell me the names!" She whined like a little girl.

"I won't tell you the names of the people I used to see before, Norma."

He thought she had forgotten the question already. The waiter had arrived two seconds after she posed the question that had Alex squirming in his chair. He was thankful for the interruption. But now she kept asking and wouldn't drop it. To make matters worse, his sense of unease was only matched with her apparent amusement at his predicament.

"You're no fun!" She teased him.

"No, I'm not."

Norma's laughter kept filling the once empty silence of the inside of the SUV until they arrive in front of the house. She opens the door to get out of the car.

"Woah!" She exclaims.

"Easy there." He quickly goes around the car and helps her down. He also helps her go up the stairs, one hand in the small of her back.

She fumbles with her small purse to find the keys.

"I have to give you a set of keys." She mentions seriously for a moment before starting to laugh again. "So you can open the door each night after you come up all those stairs!"

She keeps laughing and complaining about stairs and how she'll someday break her neck on them.

"Hey look! More stairs!"

Alex helps her up, putting his arm around her small waist, loving the moment of closeness that allows him to smell her sweet perfume and feel the warmth coming from her body.

With his help she goes up the stairs and into her bedroom where she flops onto the bed and laughs again. He asks her if she's okay. She assures him she just drank too much wine. She plays with his tie for a few seconds and Alex's heart skips a beat.

Norma gives him the most blissful smile he has ever seen on her, or on any woman's face, period. She plays with her own fingers a little, the only sign that she might be a little nervous.

He knows what she's offering. It will be so easy to take what she's clearly willing to give him at this moment. But something stops him. Not the fact that they both have alcohol in their systems, she considerably more than him since he was driving anyway. He knows she's not completely drunk. He knows she is still capable to give or take away her consent. But he is certain the alcohol has given her, at the very least, the loosened inhibition.

She thinks she _needs_ to do this but he doesn't want her to think of him as the man who married her and will take advantage of her, even if she offered it first. He doesn't want her after a night of many drinks. He doesn't want her thinking she needs to fulfill an obligation.

He wants her. Oh, he does. But he wants her completely. He wants her to trust him with that last bit of trust he still needs from her if he is going to possess her body. He also knows that as soon as he kisses her, really kisses her, that when his hands are finally able to touch her, he won't be able to stop.

He will wait for another time. There will be another time. So he tells her to go to sleep as he gets up from where he is sitting on the bed next to her and takes a long look down at her body. He really is fighting against what his body wants and what his mind is telling him is the right thing to do.

He can see the fleeting look of disappointment and confusion on her face. She could think he's rejecting her, but she is smarter than that. The playful smile on her lips tells him that she knows what he's doing and why he's doing it.

"Ok. Fine."

They share a look of mutual understanding.

Alex takes one last glimpse at the pink underlining and the lace poking out from under her dress, his eyes taking in the shape of her beautiful legs, and turns away.

"Goodnight." He hears her flirty and amused tone.

"Sleep well, Mrs. Romero." Alex says from the hallway.

"I'm keeping my name!"

Norma sighs and flops back on the bed. Then she smiles as she delicately and absentmindedly traces the outline of her left breast. A single gesture of a yet unconscious deeper desire.

She's not so tipsy anymore. Somehow this marriage thing doesn't feel so uncomfortable at this moment. This is the first time a man hasn't taken what she's offered or even what she didn't but they took it anyway. It makes her feel incredibly safe. Alex Romero, the man who has repeatedly helped her, respected her and believed her, is sleeping under her same roof. Maybe this time really will be different.

* * *

TBC...


	2. Closer

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews to the first chapter and for letting me know you're intrigued by this idea/concept of what I'm trying to do. To the guest who asked if s/he could suggest something for the after the house break-in scene: yes, you can. Although I already have an idea of what I want to write for that scene, if I can work your suggestion into it, I'll do it, so feel free to DM me your idea or post it in the reviews. I hope you all like this next chapter!**

* * *

Norma wakes up and feels the throbbing pain of a mild headache. She groans as she sits up on the bed and then smiles when she remembers why she has a hangover today.

She and Alex got married yesterday. He invited her out and they drank a bottle of champagne and two bottles of wine last night. Or maybe she drank the wine all by herself. She remembers Alex pouring the red liquid into her glass as they waited for their order, and while she ate the delicious spinach ravioli, and the tiramisu cake they shared. She probably ate most of that by herself too.

"Yeah, he's already a great influence on me." She repeats her words from last night out loud to herself.

"Get up, Norma. Bathroom, something for this headache and coffee." She tries to motivate herself to move.

She goes into the bathroom, washes her face and teeth, swallows two ibuprofen capsules and then goes down to the kitchen expecting to find Alex there. It's early and she didn't hear any noise coming from his bedroom but as she peeks into the kitchen she sees he's not there. Then something on top of the coffee maker grabs her attention. Looks like a piece of paper.

She reaches the note and reads it:

 _Good morning! Enjoy_

 _the wedding present._

 _Got some guys to fill_

 _in the pit._

 _See you tonight._

 _A_

She smiles and thinks that Alex is already winning the 'best husband' title between the three men she has been married to, and he has done it in less than 24 hours of marriage.

Norma pours the still warm coffee left on the pot in her mug. There's a used and washed coffee mug in the sink drainer which means Alex drank coffee too before leaving.

He made coffee. Gave her a morning surprise wedding gift and cleaned his mug. She can get used to this.

* * *

After work Alex stops by his house to bring some boxes and pack a few things. He finds one of the people he used to see, Rebecca, inside his bedroom. She tries to seduce him but he stops her advances with a gentle approach and telling her the truth behind his rejection: he got married.

He knows Rebecca has a jealous streak on her and even though their relationship was never exclusive; both of them seeing other people during the years they've known each other, he doesn't want to hurt her either. But for him, their relationship ended the moment he decided to marry Norma, and even more so when he promised to love, honor and protect her. Their marriage may be a fake one, but his promise was real, to himself and to Norma.

After Rebecca leaves, hurt and furious, Alex looks for Bob Paris' money and in a moment of panic, decides to pack it all and bring it with him to Norma's house. As he drives back to her place, Alex starts thinking back to the events of the last few days.

 _'I need you to get him out!'_

 _'Norma, I'm not magical.'_

He was tired that morning after spending the whole night until the early hours of dawn getting rid of Bob Paris' body and boat. He frankly was a little frustrated that she only called him when she needed something from him but it was his entire fault because he always came to her aid whenever she called. He couldn't be angry with her now for asking favors of him when she, or her sons, were in trouble.

He had just killed a man for her. To protect her. Because the other night when he saw her crying in front of the motel after telling him 'We're all doomed in the end, right?' he couldn't bear the thought that she was scared and suffering, and that he couldn't do anything for her. So he went and tipped Bob off, and then waited for him in his own boat and killed him.

She had no idea of what he'd done. She would've never asked for him to do such a thing, so he can't be angry at her. It was his decision. But he had to go to work and had no time or jurisdiction for dealing with her son's mental ward medical hold. She'd have to wait the 48 hours.

Then two days later…

6:16 a.m.

 _'What's the problem, Norma?'_

 _"Why do you have to answer the phone like that? What happened to "hello"?'_

 _'Fine. Hello, what's the problem?'_

Another crisis no doubt. He felt a headache coming on.

She did have a crisis and a terrible idea. She actually proposed to him. She asked him to get married "only on paper". He said no and felt terrible afterwards but she was being a pain in his ass. He was also resentful by her assumption that he would say yes, that his feelings for her were not so secret anymore, that she knew his weakness. She even offered to sleep with him as if that meant nothing to her, and that hurt him. So he said no.

But the next day he went to see her, to check on her. For the second time in the same week he told her he was sorry he couldn't help her. He asked if she was afraid of being alone with Norman and she said no, but her eyes told him a different story. She _was_ scared. If she was trying to give him a silent confirmation to his question she succeeded. He decided right then and there that he would help her; he couldn't ignore his own desires and compulsion in doing so anyway.

He left her house. He went to Pineview and paid for Norman's place in cash. He called her and told her he'd marry her. Then, that very same night, her phone call came. The voice message that chilled him to the bone and made him drive to her house like a madman because it sounded like a goodbye. He couldn't lose her now. Not when he was marrying her. This is not how he would've wanted their relationship to start; he would've liked to take her out first, to dine and wine her, to give her everything she deserved. But things with Norma had never been logical. If this is the way it was going to happen, he'd take it and make the most out of it.

So he married her the next day. And that same night she told him some of the sad stories about her past. He already knew her marriage to Sam Bates was not the happiest one, but he didn't know her first marriage wasn't either. She was so young. He could imagine her; a teenager with a baby, going from one bad marriage to the next. She really had not been lucky in love. For such a beautiful and amazing woman, what a tragedy that no man had showed her that she deserved to be loved. He will be the one to show her.

Alex arrives at the house and goes to the basement to find a hiding spot for the money. He won't tell Norma about his encounter with Rebecca. First, because it will only aggravate her and she's stressed out enough as it is. Second, because he didn't tell her the names of those women when she asked because for him they're all now in the past. After a few minutes, he hears Norma coming down the basement stairs and he moves closer to the light so she knows he's here. She looks frightened.

"Oh, God, it's you. I got scared. Norman's the only one who's ever down here." He says nothing. "What were you doing?"

"I was looking for somewhere to do my laundry." He lies.

"Just give me your laundry. I like doing laundry." She offers.

They look at each other remembering that other time when they butted heads over her doing his laundry.

"Is that the truth?" She's suspicious now. She's squinting her eyes, tilting her head, and smiling.

"No, actually I was hiding a bunch of money down here." He tells the truth.

She smiles broadly. He looks at her face and can't stop himself from mirroring her smile. How is he supposed to not fall more and more in love with her when she smiles at him like that?

"Yeah, that's funny. Come on, I'll make us something to eat."

She starts walking upstairs, and he follows not too far behind, before taking a last look at the hiding place that now holds a bag full of cash.

Once in the kitchen, he's not sure what to do. She already took her jacket off and is putting on an apron. He stands there looking at her for a full minute before speaking.

"Do you need help?"

"Oh! Not really. I bought a rotisserie chicken already cooked because it's too late to start cooking now, so I'm just going to make a salad, if that's okay?"

She's looking at him waiting for an answer.

"Yes, of course." He's used to eating frozen food so anything she makes will be better. It's not like he will say no to whatever she has planned.

She starts taking greens out of the fridge and he takes his leather jacket off and puts it on one of the chairs.

"I can set the table." He offers.

"Ok. Second cupboard on top are the plates, and first drawer from the left you'll find the utensils." She directs him with her hands, and the same time she's making quick work on the salad; cutting and tossing. He's barely finished putting the empty plates on the table when she brings the salad bowl to it. She takes the chicken out and the smell of it fills the room immediately. She starts cutting it in pieces and licking her lips once in a while, quickly cleaning her hands on her apron.

"What's your piece?"

"Huh?"

"The chicken. What piece do you want?"

"Anything. Whatever."

"Alex, there's a whole chicken for the two of us. You can tell me which piece you like."

"Ok." He chuckles at her insistence. "Thighs and drumsticks are fine."

"See? That wasn't so hard." She smiles as she places the pieces on his plate. "Sit down." He does as she asks.

She brings napkins, water and salad dressing to the table and sits down in front of her plate with the chicken breast. They start eating in a companionable silence until Norma breaks it.

"I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For having your friends fill the pit. You didn't have to."

"I didn't want you to have an accident… or one of your guests. It's safer now."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He could live just for the smiles she keeps giving him.

Once they're done, Norma clears the table and Alex offers to do the dishes. She says it's no problem, they didn't even use that many. She'll be done in 10 minutes.

"Well, thanks for dinner."

"Sure."

"I'm going upstairs then."

"Okay. Goodnight."

He checks that the kitchen door is locked. Her safety is always his main concern. She notices it and smiles thankful at his thoughtfulness. He grabs his jacket and heads upstairs.

Norma finishes tidying up the kitchen, takes off her apron and turns off the lights. She does the same with the hallway and living room lights. She goes into her bedroom, takes off her clothes, and puts on her blue silk robe.

She's on her way to the bathroom. She's tying the bow of her robe at her waist so she doesn't notice that Alex has come out of his bedroom and is headed for the bathroom too.

They meet in the middle and laugh nervously when they see each other.

"Uh, ladies first."

"No, you go first. You have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Don't worry. It's yours." He retreats back into the hallway to his room.

"Goodnight, Alex." She speaks softly as she sees his form retreat into the hallway.

"Goodnight, Norma." He turns around to face her when he replies.

He lies back on his bed. He's content in a way he hasn't been in a long time. He finds comfort in knowing she's safe, that as long as he's here he'll protect her and nothing and no one will hurt her, ever again. He was mad at her because she proposed an insane thing: to get married. And now he's happy that she did.

He doesn't know how long he can live so close to her without telling her that he loves her. She knows he finds her beautiful and attractive. But the truth is he has been in love with her for a long time now. Infuriating, annoying, mercurial and flighty as she is, he's deeply in love with her.

But he'll wait for her; he'll wait until she is ready to accept his love. Meanwhile, he'll keep helping and protecting her. He thinks that's the only thing he wants to do for the rest of his life.

He hears the bathroom door open, and waits until he's sure she's at her bedroom again. He goes out of his and sees the door to her bedroom closed; he's not invited in yet. He hangs his head feeling a little defeated even though last night he refused to sleep with her. He's not expecting now for her to fall into his arms after just one day of marriage. But how he yearns for her. How much he wants her.

He goes to the bathroom, and when he comes back he lies in bed again and falls quickly asleep.

The next morning he wakes up very early. He hopes she's still sleeping and doesn't hear the sounds arising from his throat as he takes care of his own needs and comes with a muffled groan against his arm in the shower.

He gets ready for work, goes to the kitchen and makes coffee but he takes his to go. He wants to get out of the house fast. He can hear steps above meaning she's already awake. He can't see her right now. He feels his yearning for her is getting stronger the closer he gets to her. Before, he could dream of her and please himself thinking of her, and then fall asleep without guilt. Now, living with her is different; every sensation is multiplied. Her perfume hangs in the air constantly; her cooking feeds his hungry stomach and her presence leaves him with an unfulfilled latent desire.

He goes out the house and drives off. He thinks he sees Dylan in his truck pulling over at the parking in front of the motel.

* * *

TBC…


	3. Real

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I hope this next chapter makes up for it and that you don't mind a very long certain scene. I promise future ones won't be that long, unless you want them to be ;) You may notice that the classification changed to M. That's because these two are going to start doing very adult things. Thanks for the chapter 2 reviews!**

* * *

Alex arrives at the house and calls out for Norma even though her car is not parked outside. He changes out of his work uniform and into casual clothes; black jeans and a flannel shirt on top of his t-shirt. He thinks of calling her or texting her to see if she's okay, to check if everything's okay, but he doesn't want to seem like he's following her every move so he decides to wait a little before doing anything. He's in the kitchen when he hears the front door.

Norma explains she went to see Norman. She's scared of losing him and she starts to cry. Alex tells her she's doing the right thing but she just cries more so he comforts her. There's nothing remotely sexual in his hug. He's merely providing a safe haven for her and she holds on tight, breathing into his neck as her weeping subsides. Alex is all too aware when the atmosphere between them changes. A shift in her demeanor that makes him conscious of the closeness they're sharing, of the way he can feel her breasts pressing into his chest, of the heat between them.

She kisses him first; soft and tentatively, and he barely moves. Then she kisses him again and he responds to her kiss by pressing his lips more firmly against hers. Their third kiss is just a prolongation of the second one; mouths opening, giving and receiving, tongues meeting for the briefest of moments, before it stops.

"I don't think we should do this yet." He's ever so careful of her emotional state, and also his own emotional endurance.

"I want to do it." She simply states her wish.

"No, don't, don't play with me, okay?" He wouldn't survive if she gives him all, and then takes it away.

"I'm not. I'm not." She reassures him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He needs her confirmation.

"I'm sure I want to do this right now." She gives him what he needs in order to get what she wants.

When she kisses him again, he's ready and waiting for her. They share a long, wet, deep kiss that entices and coaxes, and in a few seconds their breathing is coming in short gasps and ragged breaths. He bends down and wraps his arm under her knees, scooping her up effortlessly and carrying her upstairs.

* * *

Alex wakes up in bed alone and for a second he thinks he dreamt it all; the endless kisses, the words that were said in whispers and in between gasps, the utter pleasure he felt when he touched her, and the way she trembled in his arms when he loved her. But since he's in Norma's bed and he can still smell her on his skin, he knows without a doubt it was all very real.

He goes to take a shower and gets dressed in his room before heading to the kitchen, where the sounds and smells are coming from.

"Hi." He greets her when he sees her standing in front of the stove.

"Good morning! I made you breakfast." She responds in a high-pitch voice.

She keeps talking fast and without making eye contact with him until he stops her movements holding onto her waist.

"Come here."

She finally looks into his face.

"I'm not sorry about what happened."

"Okay. I'm not either."

He leans into her and she kisses him. When she stops the kiss saying it's too much, he can see the battle waging inside her reflected on her face. She may have let down the physical barrier between them last night but still has her emotional walls up. He won't push her. If she wants time to process their newest development he'll give her all the time she needs.

Alex digs into his food. He mentions they should get a joint checking account and invites her to the Winter Festival, all of it to make their marriage seem more real. Norma thinks somehow their marital status doesn't feel like a sham anymore; they're already behaving like a normal married couple, but she declines saying she's going to visit Emma at the hospital and leaves him to his breakfast.

She waits until she sees his car gone to go out herself. Their morning encounter was awkward enough and she doesn't want a repeat. She felt overwhelmed by it all; his closeness, his imminent desire for her, how to approach their supposedly fake relationship after what they did last night. She needs time to think, to put everything into perspective. She gets out the house and into her car. Just when she's about to start driving the memories of the previous night assault her.

* * *

Alex enters her bedroom with her still in his arms, walking around to the left side of the bed and setting her back on her feet. She doesn't let go of his neck, on the contrary, pulls him closer to her, not wanting to lose the heat coming from him.

His arms go around her waist and then to her lower back, applying pressure until her lower half is pressed against his. There's not a single space left in between their bodies. They kiss again until they can't breathe and they have to come up for air. She smiles lazily, eyes hooded and blinking slowly, as is she was sleepy but she's not. Her pupils are dilated and her breathing is fast.

He turns her around and hugs her from behind, pressing his front to her back and she rests her head on his shoulder, her arms on top of his around her middle. Alex kisses her neck and she sighs.

She feels his hands letting go of her waist and misses them instantly but then those very hands are at her neck, reaching for her dress' zipper and lowering it down so slowly she can hear every one of its teeth opening up, leaving her back exposed. Alex starts kissing his way down her spine, his hands grabbing her hips, and as she feels his lips on her skin she reaches out and covers his hand with hers.

Kneeling behind her he reaches for her boots, helping her out of them one at a time, and slowly caressing her legs. His hands go under her skirt touching her outer thighs and she loses her balance from the intense sensation but he catches her, quickly standing up and letting her recline against him again.

Norma turns around and their mouths meet again. Lips and hands are getting greedy. Kisses are becoming hotter, crushing, and needy. Their hands are busy; Norma takes off Alex's shirt and he obligingly lifts his arms so she can take off his black undershirt too. He kisses her like he's a starved man and she's water in the desert. He covers her breast with his hand, squeezes it and she moans. He lowers the top of her dress and they hug, still kissing, his bare chest against her still covered breasts, but the feeling is enough to make them both groan in unison.

She touches his well-defined chest, her hands going down until she reaches his zip and fly and quickly works on it until his pants are open. He takes them off, disposing of his shoes and socks too in one swift motion. He returns to her mouth and her skin, inching her dress down her hips until it falls around her feet.

Alex takes a step back to admire her, his hands still on her waist. Norma smiles at the appreciative look he gives her, starting at her feet and going all the way up to her face. She also enjoys the view of him clad only in his black underwear, his hardness visible through the fabric of his boxers.

He crushes his lips to hers and she swipes her tongue into his hungry mouth. They start moving the few steps to the bed and when the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress she looks up at him, desire and want painted on her face. She reclines on the bed and he follows.

Alex lies down next to her, caressing her cheek and neck as he kisses her softly, and takes his time stroking every inch of her skin. They lay side by side, his hand following the curve of her hip, lips learning the contours of each other's mouths.

"You're so soft." He murmurs against her neck, moving the strap of her bra down her shoulder. She places her hands on his face and licks his lips, kisses him.

They take their time with each other, their initial urgency now gone. Alex has craved her for so long he wants to savor every moment. Norma is enjoying each minute of passionate intimacy with Alex, already so different from her previous lovers.

No one has taken the time to get to know her body's responses the way he's doing. He learns quickly she likes when he squeezes her breasts gently and sucks her nipples hard. That she's not particularly loud or talkative but that the sounds she makes give him all the direction and encouragement he needs. He's happy to discover she's not a prude or shy in bed; her hands as busy as his, touching and exploring his body with the same enthusiasm he's showing for her.

Her belly trembles under his touch and when his fingers go past the black lace of her panties, finding her swollen and ready, he has to groan against her neck.

"Alex, please…" She pleads after a few moments of delicious teasing of his fingers on her most sensitive spot, and he complies by taking his hand out of between her open legs. He moves down her body, kissing and licking breasts and ribs, and pulls her panties down her legs with veneration and eagerness.

"God, you're so beautiful." He gasps in half-wonder and half-lust as he kneels on the bed taking a long look at her.

Their next hug is more intimate, her legs spreading to make space for his hips, as he kisses her with renewed desire. A few pushes of her hips against his and her hands going down his back and on his buttocks, is all it takes for them to work together to remove the last piece of clothing between them.

Once he's as naked as she is and lowers himself on top of her again, she kisses him with ferocious need; tongue hard and insistent, lips soft and inviting. She feels him at her entrance and she spreads her legs a little more, tilts her pelvis a little upward, inviting him in.

Alex takes her silent cues and lifting his head from kissing her, looks straight into her eyes as he sinks into her. His hard flesh meeting her soft, pliant, hot wet one. Her hands are holding onto his arms, as he keeps his weight off her not wanting to crush her, the posture giving him the bonus of seeing her breasts softly bounce to the rhythm of their movements.

Their coupling is slow and steady. Norma seems to like it that way so Alex holds back as much as he can. Every once in a while he thrusts harder or faster for a few moments and she doesn't dislike it, gasping her enjoyment too. However, the deep and slow motion of his hips seem to gather the most ardent response.

After a while he rolls them over, putting her on top. She doesn't miss a bit and keeps rocking on top of him, not bouncing up and down, just sensually crashing her hips down on him and grazing her breasts on his chest until her moans are louder and a fine sheet of sweat starts to show on her skin.

There's sudden silence and she stops moving. For a second Alex thinks she's tired or something has gone wrong, but then he feels her shuddering on top of him, clenching and tightening around him. Her whole body is trembling, her cries muffled against his neck.

"Oh god... hmmm. Oh… Alex." And she goes limp in his arms. His hands move soothingly down her back, her hips and her ass and after she has regained her breath he flips them over again and drives into her, lovingly, strongly, until he can't anymore. She receives every single plunge into her gladly, the sensation sending tremors down her still post-orgasmic sensitized body.

Alex comes, hard and powerful, and even though he wants to scream his love for her, he suppresses the words by biting his lips, face buried in her neck, groaning desperately. When he's sure no untimely declarations of love will leave his mouth, he lets one word out: "Norma."

There is no cuddling afterwards. They share a couple lazy, pleasant kisses before he leaves the warm cocoon of her body with a reluctant groan. She lets out a small whimper. She turns on her side with a satisfied sigh facing him. All the stress and sadness on her face from hours before is gone.

Alex feels happy he gave her a few hours of pleasure, making her forget her problems for a while. He's also ecstatic he finally had sex with Norma Bates. She didn't scream like some of the women he has been with, but she uttered the one word he wanted to hear during her climax: his name.

He sits up to reach for the sheets, and her hand grabs his arm, not wanting him to go. When she realizes his intention she relaxes again. He covers her nude form with the sheet and she sighs contentedly. He throws the sheet around his pelvis too.

He can't stop himself from draping one arm around her waist. She opens her eyes for a second and smiles.

"Goodnight, Alex."

She's asleep before he can even reply.

* * *

Norma feels the heat on her face; she knows she's blushing. She also knows she's smiling like a 17 year old girl who just discovered what being in love is like. Instead, she's conscious of the fact she's a 41 year old grown woman reminiscing of last night; when she slept with her husband for the first time. She's also aware that it was, by far, the best sex she's ever had.

She shakes her head. She needs to put herself together. It's a long drive to Portland.

* * *

TBC…


	4. Lights

**A/N: Thank you for reading, thank you for following, thank you for favoring, and especially thank you for reviewing. Hope you like this one.**

* * *

Norma arrives home from visiting Emma to complete solitude; no Dylan, no Norman, and not even Alex. Only darkness and emptiness welcome her. She walks into the kitchen to make herself a quick snack and upon opening the fridge door, the light inside the appliance the only illumination in the room, a realization hits. She doesn't have to be alone tonight. There's a nice man waiting for her, well, not technically since she told him she wouldn't go, but she decides to go meet Alex at the Winter Festival.

Unlike the night of their wedding, this time she wants to dress for Alex. She takes time deciding what to wear and chooses a simple long-sleeve black dress and her pretty grey coat, the one with the fur collar. She takes great care into her makeup and hair, and applies perfume on her pulse points; behind her ears, on her neck and on her wrists.

When she arrives at the festival she buys one of the pretty umbrellas with tiny lights that are being sold. If she's going to do this, she might as well do it right and blend in with the festive crowd.

She stops walking as soon as she sees him. He starts walking towards her as soon as he spots her.

"You look beautiful." Alex tells her as soon as he's in front of her. She doesn't say anything but she knows she looks good and is pleased to hear his compliment.

"I thought you weren't gonna come." He adds.

"I heard there was funnel cake." That earns her a smile from him.

"Come on, Mrs. Sheriff. I'll set you up."

They eat funnel cake, drink hot toddies, have their picture taken, laugh and dance. It feels like the perfect night, the perfect date they never had before getting married. Alex is not surprised when Norma brings up Rebecca's name again, after all, she just met her but he can tell she can intuit more than what she's letting on. He's secretly happy to know Norma is a little jealous of any other woman in his life, it means she's not entirely indifferent regarding him.

The fact that she's here and in his arms, after she said she wouldn't come is enough to make him feel overjoyed. She's relaxed, and seems to be enjoying his touch as they dance and she looks, dare he say it, happy too.

She even allows him to press a soft warm kiss to her lips, right there on the dance floor, while they slow dance.

"Do you want to go home?" He's bold enough to ask her.

"Yeah." Her simple breathy response tells him he was right to ask.

Alex accompanies Norma to her car.

"I'll follow you. Don't break any traffic laws." He smiles softly at her.

"Why? Would you arrest me?" She replies in a flirty tone.

"I will have to, yes."

"Then I just might speed away." She laughs.

"Drive safe. See you home."

He does as he said and follows her car close behind. She doesn't speed. They arrive at the motel parking and Norma parks her car in front of the stairs, Alex parks next to her. He gets out and opens her car door for her, waits while she gathers her purse and the umbrella.

"You looked very beautiful under that."

"Everything looked beautiful."

"You more than anything."

"I'm glad I went."

"I'm glad too."

He leans in and kisses her gently. His hands are on her waist and he presses her between him and her car. Her hands are full so she can't hug him but she kisses him back.

"Let's go inside." Norma whispers and he releases his hold on her waist.

They open the front door. There's a charged energy between them, and they know it, they can _feel_ it. Something is changing tonight. Norma puts the umbrella in the holder as Alex closes the front door behind them. Just when she's about to open the second door, he grabs her by the waist and slowly pulls her to him.

She drops her purse on the floor and puts her hands on his arms as he backs her up against the door frame. She has the presence of mind of opening the second door as they start to kiss.

It's dark. The kiss is soft and gentle. Norma stops and smiles sweetly up at him. They keep kissing and it turns hungry and insistent and demanding fast. She starts taking Alex's coat and jacket off, struggling with the fabric, listening to his gaps while he keeps kissing her.

She finally takes his outer layers off. As his hands go under her coat to grab her hips and backside, she caresses his neck and runs her hand through his hair.

"I want to see you."

She reaches behind him to turn on the light. He laughs happily into her neck, placing a kiss there and smelling her perfume. She keeps kissing him until she realizes he's stopped kissing her back. When she looks at what's getting his attention, she sees her house looks like it's been ransacked; vases, pillows, books, lamps, everything's on the floor. It's a mess.

"Who would do this?" She asks visibly shaken after surveying the damage on the living room.

Alex hugs her in comfort.

Almost two hours later they have finished cleaning up. He put the broken vases out with the trash and a cardboard to cover the hole on the broken window. Alex promises Norma they'd get it fixed.

They turn off the lights and head upstairs. Norma stops at the top.

"Alex?" She's wringing her hands together. She's nervous again.

"What is it?" He's instantly worried and reaches his hand to touch her arm. "Are you okay?"

"Uhm. Can you stay with me? I mean… in my room. I just don't want to be alone tonight after what happened. I won't be able to sleep." She's speaking fast, hugging herself.

Her eyes find his. He nods at her.

"It's okay, Norma. Of course I'll stay with you."

She exhales hugely and visibly, smiling thankfully and relieved at him.

"I'll just go change." He mentions.

"Okay, yes. Sure. I'll… I'll be in my room." And she turns around and walks away.

Alex goes into his small bedroom and takes a deep breath. She invited him to her room, to her bed. Yes, it's only to sleep, to provide her company and comfort, but he knows what their intentions were before they entered the house and saw what had happened. The kisses would probably have led to something more if they hadn't been interrupted so to speak.

Ever since she told him that time before he left the motel that she felt safe with him, he has felt a deep sense of pride that she gives him the chance to protect her. She didn't know back then that one of his main priorities in life was to keep her safe. Now he gets to do it.

He finds a clean t-shirt and puts on long pajama pants too. He doesn't expect anything from tonight than making her feel safe and secure. If she needs him close in order to be able sleep, he'll keep watch over her the whole night if necessary.

He takes his cell phone and his gun with him to Norma's room. He can't spend a whole night without them immediately accessible; his duty to the town and her safety always first in his list of priorities. He leaves his room and walks slowly to Norma's room where he can see the door ajar and light coming from within.

"Norma?" He asks before completely entering the room.

"Come on in." She's standing by the side of the bed putting her phone down on the end table. He notices she has no makeup anymore; she must have taken it off while he was in his room. She looks beautiful, wearing her blue robe and a warm smile.

She notices the gun in his hand. "It should be where I am." He explains while walking to the other end table and placing it on top of it, along with his phone.

Norma starts pulling the bed covers down, he helps on his side. Alex looks at the bed then at her unsure what to do.

"You can get in." She simply says and he does.

He's getting comfortable on the bed when she takes her robe off, placing it on the folding screen next to the bed. Turning around she gets into bed, reaches the sheet and throws it over her. She didn't look at him and her movements were natural and relaxed, and frankly, not meant as a seduction. But Alex had trouble keeping his eyes off her satin covered figure, in her black short nightgown, which hugged every curve and left her beautiful legs exposed.

He has one arm behind his head, one over his chest. Norma settles on her side, facing him, and looks at his face.

"Do you think they will come back?"

Her features darken with anguish.

"No. They won't. Don't worry about it."

She relaxes and smiles; he smiles back. She reaches towards the table on her side and turns the light off. Alex turns off the light on his side too.

She lies back down but surprises him by moving closer than what she previously was. She brushes his arm and he moves it to wrap it around her shoulders. She snuggles closer to him. She's now completely on his side of the bed, her side empty.

"Goodnight, Alex."

She reaches up to kiss his cheek but at the same time he moves his face towards hers and her kiss lands on his lips. They freeze, not out of fear or being uncomfortable, but because the memories of tonight come rushing back; the festival with all its pretty lights, the dancing, the laughter, the kisses they shared, and the promise those kisses held.

Alex moves his hand to her face, caressing her cheek. Even in the darkness he swears he can see her eyes, shiny and infinite as ever. Her breath is tickling his face, her lips parted and her hand on his chest. Alex leans in and kisses her lower lip, tracing his tongue over it. When she opens her mouth to him he kisses her deeply and she moans.

He feels her hand on his neck and on his face and then back on his chest, pushing him away. _Shit. I read her wrong; this is not what she wanted, I shouldn't have kissed her, she's not ready yet_. Alex is mentally kicking himself, until what she's saying registers on his brain.

"I want to see you." She's repeating her words from earlier tonight.

She moves her upper body on top of him to reach for the lamp on his side of the bed and turns the light on. She smiles down at him and bends down to press her soft lips against his. Her hands go under his shirt, making his abdominal muscles jump at the sudden and welcome sensation. He lifts his arms and takes it off.

They feel the desire and want come back quickly, their closeness on the dance floor, the feeling of being pressed against each other with the door frame for support. In a matter of seconds they're completely nude. Eyes roaming over exposed skin and hands eager to the touch.

They end up side by side, her leg thrown over his hip, his leg insinuating itself between hers. She kisses him with fervor, sighing and purring in his ear. His hands are tracing patterns over her curves. He holds her tightly to him; one hand supporting the weight of her head at the base of her spine, the other caressing from her neck down her back, over the dip of her waist and the swell of her ass, making her tremble deliciously.

He pushes her onto her back and touches her breasts the way he already knows she likes. He moves slowly down her body, leaving a path of tiny kisses, but she groans frustrated when she feels his hips moving away from hers. She wants him inside her now, but he keeps going lower.

"Alex? What are you doing?" She pants as she reclines on her elbows to look down at him.

"I want to taste you." He replies with such sincerity in his voice and hunger in his eyes, that her own eyes go wide and her mouth opens in surprise but she's unable to say a word. She keeps watching him as he situates himself between her spread legs, but when she feels the first swipe of his tongue against her swollen bundle she releases a guttural moan and falls back on the bed, her hands gripping the sheets hard.

He has to grab her hips that keep moving and undulating in tandem to his actions. His mouth alternating between gentle licking and hard sucking, keeping at it until she convulses against his tongue, her thighs closing automatically around his head when her climax overtakes her.

He kisses her creamy white thighs until she relaxes and he can move up her body. He hovers over her, his arms on either side of her head, until she finally opens her eyes. He just gave her one of the best orgasms of her life but of course he doesn't know that. She reaches up and grabs his face, kissing him and tasting herself on his lips.

She pulls at him until he's fully on top of her and she can wrap her legs around him. He kisses her; on her lips and her neck, on her shoulders and on her wrists, and he can smell her lingering perfume there. She hugs him with her arms and legs.

Their first time was in the shadows, with only the outside street lamp bathing them in a weak golden glow. Tonight, the light from the lamp affords him the view of her chest and face when she blushes, and the way she tries to keep her eyes focused on his face but rolls them back in ecstasy.

She enjoys the play of his muscles, pushing and pulling as he moves on top of her. His strong arms are holding much of his upper weight off her but also contract when he hugs her, and when he comes inside of her straining not to collapse on top of her.

They watch each other intently, they watch it all.

Alex thinks he can't possibly love her any more than he already does.

Norma thinks she likes Alex a lot now; or maybe she did before and she's just realizing it now. He's giving her safety and pleasure, two things she's been deprived of for far too long. She's beginning to allow herself to enjoy it too.

This time there is cuddling afterwards. Alex falls back on the mattress, his arm encircling Norma and bringing her close in a tight hug. She snuggles into his side, her head on his shoulder, and her arm on his chest.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"You can turn the light off now."

He does. In the darkened room, he inhales the smell of her hair and places a kiss on top of her blonde head.

"Goodnight, Norma."

She sighs.

* * *

Alex wakes up the next morning alone in bed again. He doesn't like it and he's a little hurt. Does she not like waking up with him? Is she still unsure about them? She enjoyed last night as much as he did, of that he's certain.

He takes a shower, gets dressed and goes downstairs. Just like yesterday morning Norma is at the kitchen, busy making breakfast, already neatly dressed. He expects a repeat of their awkward interaction.

"Good morning." He greets her and when she looks at him her face brightens into a big bright smile.

"Hi! Good morning."

He comes closer and she kisses him, quick and short, on the lips. He smiles and she blinks rapidly, giggling nervously, like a little girl who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I woke up very early because I want to go to the hardware store first thing in the morning. You know, to see if they have anyone who fixes windows." She starts rambling and he loves that she's not on edge about last night.

He takes the coffee mug she's offering to him from her hands; and they smile at each other.

"Sit down. I made us breakfast." She gestures towards the table and turns around to attend to the pan on the stove.

Alex looks at the table where this time there are two places set up.

* * *

TBC…


	5. Truth

**A/N: Well, I made myself cry a little writing this chapter – it's a little intense but I hope you also find it cathartic as I did. Great love stories are always painful and beautiful. We know Normero is all of that. Hope you like it and thanks for the reviews! They keep me writing.**

* * *

 _Dear when you smiled at me, I heard a melody  
It haunted me from the start  
Something inside of me started a symphony  
Zing! Went the strings of my heart_

Alex enters the house, walking slowly towards Norma as to not interrupt her singing and playing the piano. She finally sees him and apologizes for making him listen to her "butcher that song". He actually loved hearing her sing.

He sits down next to her on the small bench, taking her elegant hand in his calloused ones and admiring it like a fine piece of art. To him her hands are just that; beautiful works of art.

Then she asks about the break-in, if he has any more clues. He assures her he handled it. He won't tell her he went to see Rebecca, since he's pretty sure it was her, and very pointedly told her to leave Norma alone. But his whole approach to the incident at the house might be more transparent to her than what he thought because her next question just about makes his heart stop.

"Did you kill Bob Paris?"

He can't deny it, but he can't look into her eyes and accept it either. He couldn't bear it if she is disappointed in him somehow; he is a murderer after all. He is the highest upholder of the law in town but he is also a kind of a vigilante, taking justice into his own hands when he deems it necessary. Especially if he thinks killing is necessary in order to protect her.

His silence gives her the confirmation she seeks.

"Why? Why did you do it?" She asks without anger or judgment.

He looks at her; he needs to look into her eyes when he tells her the real reason behind his actions.

"I had no choice."

He sees the emotions running through her face; he notices her eyes water, he can tell the exact moment she understands, and accepts, he did it for her. Then he feels her hands on his neck, their foreheads touch, he breathes in her closeness, and receives her absolution of his crime.

After a while, she stands up taking his hand. "Come on." He follows her, he'd follow her anywhere. His heart starts to beat quickly and erratically when he sees she's leading him slowly upstairs.

 _Later…_

He's relishing the feel of her in his arms. She's warm, soft, and naked.

He was surprised, although a willing participant, of her reaction. She sat him down on the bed and slowly undressed herself in front of him, and then got rid of his clothes. She took control and he let her, he'd let her do whatever she wants, and she loved him. He can't find another word for what she did.

Norma stirs next to him and tries to get closer even though that's impossible. She smells his neck and places a kiss on the vein that is beating to the rhythm of his heart. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, as his breathing quickens just a bit and he hugs her harder.

She's been absentmindedly playing with this chest hair until now, not speaking. They have spoken very little since his confession an hour or so before. They just whispered and gasped each other's names as she rode him into oblivion.

Alex may have said a few more words; things like _beautiful, baby, don't stop, oh god, fuck._ He chuckles low in his throat.

"What?" She asks; her voice muffled against his neck.

"Nothing." Pause. "I guess… just… I'm sorry I cursed. You know, during…" He's suddenly a little nervous. He hopes he didn't offend her.

She rests her head on her arms on top of his chest to look at him. "It's okay. No need to apologize."

He places a stray blonde curl behind her ear.

"Are you hungry?" She asks.

"Not really."

As if on cue his stomach rumbles and they both hear it. They laugh.

"Yeah. Ok, Mr. Sheriff. Go take a shower while I reheat dinner." She instructs as she gets out of bed and unhurriedly starts putting on her robe, watching as he watches her cover her nudity. She finally closes the robe and ties it around her waist.

"I know you've probably heard this before…" Alex mentions without taking his eyes off her face, "but you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

She's startled for a second by his vehemence. Then she blinks and half smiles, the left corner of her mouth rising up. She walks over to him and kisses him softly on the lips.

"Not like that. Ever." And she leaves the room.

Alex is starting to understand that Norma sometimes seeks sex for comfort, a pick-me up when she's feeling down; their first time attested to that. She also just expressed her need to comfort him through it. He wonders where that habit started for her. He knows her past marriages weren't the best and he also wishes he could erase all her bad memories and fill her life with only good ones.

* * *

Norma wasn't able to sleep well last night. She's been awake since 5 a.m. and is already on her second cup of coffee. Why she had to have the bad luck of Chick finding out about her and Caleb? She tries calling her brother but his phone has been disconnected. She goes upstairs where she heard Alex's footsteps a while ago.

"You got up early." Alex tells her when he sees her in the doorway.

"I couldn't sleep."

"What happened?"

She adores that he cares so much but she won't tell him the real reason why she can't sleep, she can't just tell him her biggest, darkest secret, yet.

"Nothing."

They share a few short loving kisses. Alex is loathed to leave her. If he could stay at home with her all day, he would.

"Alex?" She goes out into the hallway. "It's funny, you and I, isn't it? That we're here and we're happy. That after everything, we've made it. And you're going off to work and kissing me, and it's like I'm watching a movie, but it's not a movie."

He walks over to her and holds her face in his hands like a precious treasure and kisses her.

"It's not a movie. Don't screw it up."

They laugh and kiss again. She kisses the palm of his hand, a gesture Alex finds incredibly sweet and tender. She watches him from above as he walks past the front door. She already misses him and feels a pang of sadness that he has to leave, which is only accentuated by how stressed out she is with all her problems he has no idea about. She sighs.

* * *

Norma is in a bad mood. Her day has been a rollercoaster of hell. A meeting with Chick in which he demanded she gives him Caleb's whereabouts. He actually threatened to tell Alex everything. A visit from Dylan with good news: he went to see Norman and he looked calmer and happier, but also bad news: he'll be moving to Seattle very soon. Her phone call to Caleb and speaking to him which always brings deep feelings to the surface she'd rather keep buried deep down in her heart. Her failed attempt to kill Chick at the bridge.

There's too much drama in her DNA. She knows this by now. She can't seem to win. Life keeps punching her and trying to keep her down. She's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't.

She's so angry about her situation she slams the bag of pasta on the countertop and it spills all over it and onto the floor. "Great." She mutters under her breath.

Alex arrives after her fight with Dylan is over. Dinner is ready, she invites him to sit, and he quickly notices there's something going on with her but he appreciates she cooked even if she isn't feeling well. Food is her way to show nurturing and love for the people she cares, too. She will love you either through food or sex, or both, and he comprehends he is on the receiving end of her affection by how she keeps giving these two very different things to him, showing she cares about him in her own special way.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks her again after taking a few bites of the pasta in front of him.

"Yeah… well, ok. Dylan told me he's moving. To Seattle. I guess I'm not too happy about losing both my sons in the same month." She sticks her fork into her pasta and eats, chewing and swallowing with renewed anger.

"Norma…" He reaches his hand across the table and lays it on top of hers. "You're not losing them. Dylan is growing up; he's becoming a man and wants to starts a family. I assume he's moving there to be with Emma, right?"

She nods.

"He'll visit you. We can go visit him too." She smiles at that. "And Norman, he's getting better. You haven't lost him either."

She sighs audibly and keeps eating. He lets it go for now, she clearly doesn't want to talk about it anymore. After finishing dinner, he helps her with the table and the dishes, and then takes the trash out.

When he comes back he mentions Chick is outside and needs his help unloading the window.

"Chick?" Norma looks suddenly worried.

"What's wrong?

"I just… I love you. I want you to know that."

"You… You're telling me this now?" He smiles.

"Yeah."

"Well, I love you, too."

Her eyes water, her expression is of pure bliss upon hearing his words.

"I'll be right back, you know."

"Okay."

Norma wonders if this will be the first and last time she'll hear Alex say 'I love you'. If Chick tells him everything he'd probably be repulsed by her. She feels her whole life is crashing down and she can't stop it from crumbling all around her. But if she is going down, she will go down fighting. She goes into the hallway to deal with it.

She did not expect this. She screamed and insulted the tall man but he left without saying anything damaging about her. Alex is confused about it all. She recognizes this is the moment of truth. She has to tell him now.

Norma tells Alex her sordid history; the worst of many bad moments of her painful past. She opens up the last door of her heart to him, the door that's been closed keeping a secret for 22 years. She tears that last wall down because he has given her happiness, and love and peace, and she cannot bear to lie to him anymore. She explains the other man's threat of telling Alex, and the whole town, just to humiliate him and she breaks down. She cries silently because she's sure she's going to lose him one way or another; by Chick's intention or by her confession. But she'd be dammed if Alex's name gets dragged into the mud because of her.

"I've never loved anyone enough to feel obligated to be honest with them."

She lets it all out. Alex is mostly silent. She's sure he's leaving.

"So, I don't know. Just go pack your bags."

"Ok."

She resigns herself to the idea of losing him and holds her breath for the inevitable.

"Where we going?"

The sob that escapes her throat upon hearing him is not a normal cry but the powerful release of surprise, relief, and the realization that he forgives her, that he accepts her, that he loves her however damaged, used, broken and ugly she was, or is. She is grateful at him and in love with him.

She hugs him fiercely. Her hands going around his neck not wanting to let go, because right now he is her lifeline, her support, her oxygen and if she lets go, she'll suffocate and die.

He holds her, feeling a lump in his own throat at the pain her pain causes him. Seeing her face filled with shame as she told him her secret made him love her even more. He cradles her head as she sobs into his shoulder until he feels her legs give up and he quickly bends down and picks her up. He sits on the living room sofa, with her on his lap as if she were a child, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

She falls limply against his chest, her hands in between their torsos, and keeps crying. He rubs her back in soothing circles until her sobs subside. She barely moves; her energy is spent and her breathing is coming in small hiccups. Her whole body has basically collapsed against his and seemingly shrunk to fit into his lap, her legs folded under her.

"Norma?"

She doesn't respond. He looks down at her face and sees she has fallen asleep, her tear streaked face looking sad and tired. He keeps his arms around her and lets his head fall back.

He releases a big breath he didn't know he was holding. He always knew Norma was a warrior, a fighter, a survivor; he just didn't know to what extent. He didn't know her battles started since childhood. The woman is a walking contradiction; passionate and needy, loving and scared, fragile and strong. She deserves so much more from life; more laughter, more love, more everything.

After ten minutes she stirs a little.

"Alex?" Her voice is small and shaky.

"Yes."

"I'm tired."

He stands up, lifting his precious cargo in his arms and walking upstairs. He reaches their bed and delicately sits her on it and takes her shoes off. She's sniffing again.

"Norma, please don't cry."

She dries her face with the back of her hand.

"Do you want me to help you undress?"

She nods.

He lowers the zipper of her dress and pulls it down to her waist. She reaches for the buttons of her shirt but can't muster the strength to open them so he does. He goes to find her nightgown and brings it to her. After peeling away the rest of the dress, the shirt and the bra from her body, he helps her put the gown on as she lifts her arms like a small child.

"Lie down. I'll be right back."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get you water. And turn off the lights and close up the house."

"Okay." She whispers sadly and falls back in bed.

Alex comes back with a glass of water that he puts on his end table and gets ready for bed. She's on her side, her back to him still, when he lies down next to her and touches her shoulder.

"Norma? Are you asleep?"

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to turn off the lights?"

"No."

She turns around; eyes wet with unshed tears again, and kisses him. He kisses her back until he feels her pushing against him and her hand going past the waistband of his pajama bottoms. He gently but firmly stops her hand from going any further. She's trying to use sex as a coping mechanism again, but he won't even consider it this time. He can comfort her without sex tonight, he's sure it's for the better too.

"Not now, baby."

She scoffs as if he just slapped her across the face.

"You don't want me anymore?" She accuses in an indignant tone.

"I do. I've always wanted you, still do and always will. But you're tired, exhausted really. It's been a long day. You need to rest."

All the fight leaves her body in an instant thanks to his ability to calm her down.

"I love you, Alex. I mean it. I really do." She whispers but he can hear the certainty in her voice. "I said it tonight because I thought I was going to lose you forever and I didn't want you to leave without knowing it. But it's true. I love you."

One tear escapes her eye and he brushes it away with his thumb.

"I love you too. Have loved you for a long time. I'm glad I could finally say it tonight. I love you. And I'm not leaving you, Norma. I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't hate me? Now that you know everything?"

"I could never hate you. What happened was not your fault. You were young and he took advantage of you. You know that, right?" Her lips tremble with the effort to keep from crying and he kisses her forehead.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know. For loving me. For accepting me with everything I am. For being you." She takes a deep breath. "I've never known a man who didn't want to either fuck me or beat me." She's softly crying again.

He swallows hard at her words and feels the renewed need to destroy every single man who ever hurt her and made her think she was not worthy of love and respect.

"Here." He grabs the glass of water and waits until she drinks most of the clear liquid before putting it back on the table.

"Please, stop crying." He runs his fingers down her cheeks.

He wraps his arms around her shoulders and she snuggles close.

"Alex?"

"Mmm?"

"You said you've loved me for a long time. How long?"

"Ever since I came here that night wanting to get in and you wouldn't let me in without a warrant."

"That was more than a year ago."

"Yeah."

"You've loved me all this time?"

"Yes." He responds simply and truthfully.

She sighs deeply.

"Norma?"

She is already asleep.

It's 2 a.m. when Alex gets up from bed to go to the bathroom. He has a headache so he takes two ibuprofen pills from the cabinet. As he's walking back to the bedroom he hears Norma moaning and crying. He runs the few steps back to the room.

"Norma, what is it?"

But she's still sleeping and apparently having a nightmare.

"No, stop. Please, stop." She cries in her sleep.

He gets in bed and hugs her. He wishes for an instant he was around when Keith Summers, Sam Bates and her brother hurt her. He would've made them pay. He's glad two of them are now dead. He also knows he can't do anything about her past; but her present and future, they're another story.

"It's okay, Norma. Shhh, you're safe. I'm here. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore." He kisses her forehead.

"Alex?" She's between sleep and consciousness when she half-opens her eyes and tries to focus on his face, close to hers as he hugs her. "You're here." Her eyelids feel heavy so she closes her eyes again.

"Yes, I'm here. You're safe. Go to sleep." He has never seen her have a nightmare before but he has only spent a few nights with her. After everything she told him tonight and seeing how much it has affected her, he's sure nightmares have probably been a recurrent theme in her life too.

"I love you, Alex."

"I love you, too." He kisses her forehead one more time and feels her relax in his arms, finally completely asleep.

He closes his eyes too.

* * *

TBC…


	6. Love

**A/N: Initially I was going to mix two episodes here but then thought the chapter would be too long. Instead I divided the chapters by episodes, and of course, we're reaching the end too. Thank you so much for your reviews (including the Guest who keeps leaving very lovely and long reviews - Sometimes you make me cry with your beautiful words!). Know I love them and treasure them all. Hope you all enjoy this one!**

* * *

Alex turns off the alarm from his cell phone and lies back in bed. Norma is warm and inviting beside him. _Just another minute_ , he thinks as he snuggles closer to her. She rolls over and puts her arms around his neck, without opening her eyes.

"No." She murmurs. "Don't go."

Each day is becoming harder for him to leave the bed in the mornings. It was easier to do it when he was a single man living alone, without a beautiful woman waking up beside him, one that he loves with all his heart.

One minute turns to five and the snooze alarm rings again. He turns it off and kisses Norma's forehead. "Sorry," he murmurs against her hairline.

"It's okay, I like waking up with you."

One kiss leads to another and after a while they're sighing into each other's ears. Alex's hips are making a circular motion between Norma's legs and she softly gasps. He grabs her arms above her head and they intertwine their fingers; her legs going higher on his hips, and they rock together until their bodies find release.

"Good morning." Norma smiles up at Alex.

"Very good morning." They laugh in unison.

Alex disengages himself from Norma's body, sitting up and ruffling his hair, as if to shake the last bit of sleep from his head.

"Want to share a shower?" He asks looking down at her, his eyes travelling from her naked torso to her lips and finally landing on her blue eyes.

Norma smiles broadly at him.

"I think you should go ahead. I don't want to be the reason you're late for work." She winks and sits up too, not bothering to cover her breasts with the sheet, placing a kiss on his bicep. "Leave some hot water for me."

Alex stands up and walks naked towards the door.

"Nice butt, sheriff."

He looks back trying to glower at her but his attempts fails, he loves her too much. She laughs and falls back into bed.

Norma sits at her vanity applying her makeup as Alex gets dressed for work. She took her shower after him, but had to physically push him out of the bathroom so he'd let her shower alone, or they would still be in there. She stands up, satisfied with her face and hair, and sheds her robe. She puts on a light blue dress and asks Alex for help zipping it in the back.

Alex kisses her neck and squeezes her hip before going to make the coffee. For a moment she can't believe this is not a dream or a movie as she told him the other day. She has a good husband who would do anything for her, and who makes love to her in the mornings. This is something she has never had the pleasure of enjoying before; to be slowly woken up by sweet kisses and seduced by enflaming caresses. She never cared much for morning sex; the times Sam wanted it was a very different thing to what Alex does now. She's sure they just made love, as corny as it sounds.

She goes into Norman's room and looks at the empty unslept bed. She misses him; his presence in the house, his boyish charm. She quickly shakes her head to clear her mind of sad thoughts; she knows she did the right thing, she finally has the chance to give him what he needs and if she has to be without him in order for him to get better, she'll deal with it.

* * *

"Is everything okay?" Alex asks as soon as Norma finishes the phone call. They were in the basement, kissing sweetly after he gave her all the money he had hidden there, when he went to answer the phone. To his surprise, and Norma's, it was Norman on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, yeah. He's just a little homesick I guess… I'm going to visit him in a day or two. I'm sure everything's fine."

She tries to ease the tension Norman's unexpected call caused.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything. See you tonight." He kisses her softly on the lips.

"Bye."

* * *

Alex phone beeps. It's a text from Norma.

' _Which one you like best?_ ' Reads her message below two pictures of what looks like floral prints.

' _I don't know, babe. What are those?_ ' He replies.

' _For the new curtains, silly! I'm buying the fabric now so, which one?_ ' He chuckles. Only Norma would say no to the money this morning but then go shopping the very same day. He's happy to help her fix the house the way she wants to.

' _The green-ish one?_ ' He types even though he doesn't care which one she chooses as long as she likes it.

' _Okay! Thanks! See you at home._ '

He smiles looking at the phone and goes back to work.

* * *

Alex arrives at the house and Norma greets him excitedly pulling him to the kitchen, where she shows him the new curtains already hanging on the windows.

"What do you think? It's the fabric you chose."

"They look nice." He admits, while still holding her hand in his.

"I didn't want to get anything too feminine just in case you didn't like it." She replies.

"No, I like girlie fabric."

"You do?"

"Yeah." He says lacing their fingers together and pulling her to him. "I like all the ladylike things my wife wears."

"I can wear a suit too, you know?"

"Oh, I know. I've seen you in a suit and you look fantastic in it but… right now..." he murmurs as he starts kissing her neck, "you're wearing this shirt, which is very feminine, with those tiny flowers on it…" She starts laughing.

He backs her up until she's pressed against the cabinet and his body.

"I'm pretty sure you're wearing very girlie underwear too."

"Why don't you check for yourself?" She raises her eyebrow.

He takes the challenge and starts undoing the small buttons of her white and small pink flowers shirt. His hands part the fabric to uncover a light pink satin bra underneath it. He smiles upon seeing it.

"So?" She asks.

"Very girlie… and also very sexy." He replies as his thumbs touch her nipples through the bra and he sees them hardening instantly.

Alex holds on to her waist and Norma wraps her arms around his neck and they start to kiss slowly. As the kiss intensifies, his hands travel from her waist to her hips, lifting her skirt a little to touch the skin of her thighs. His hand travels upward until is not touching skin anymore but the damp spot on her panties.

She removes her hand from his neck and joins his under her skirt, pressing it harder against her, and moans deeply. Alex pushes his hips against her belly, crushing their hands in between them, making her feel his hardness.

Norma breaks the kiss and puts her hands under her skirt, taking her underwear off and tossing it on the kitchen floor. Alex looks at her with a surprised and lustful expression. He's breathing faster now. His hands squeeze her hips.

"Was that too girlie for you?" She asks suddenly, her voice lower and seductive.

"Huh?"

She turns her face to point with her chin at her panties on the floor.

"They're pink too." He answers as he looks from the undergarment lying on the floor, to her heavy lidded eyes and swollen lips. He puts his hands under her ass and bends down to lift her up onto the countertop and she gasps but quickly recovers and starts opening his zip and fly.

When he aligns himself to her entrance, they look into each other's eyes, and their movements slow down. He takes a long look at her; face flushed, shirt open and skirt hiked up, and he is overtaken by a sudden wave of love. He wants to protect and love her forever, and he swears in his mind that's what he'll do. Norma tilts her head to the side and squints as if trying to decipher what he's thinking. She raises her hands to his face and holds it while she kisses him.

"I love you, Alex."

He enters her and she moans into his mouth. He swallows each and every one of her sighs and gasps as he slowly and steadily buries himself into her. She wraps her legs at his lower back, pulling him closer, keeping one of her arms wrapped around his neck and the other on the countertop behind her for support. He keeps an unhurried pace, both enjoying the moment for a while, until eventually it becomes a little bit more frantic and a little less gentle. He presses his thumb to her clit and she throws her head back; a silent cry on her open mouth. It all ends in a litany of moans and terms of endearment and no one is sure who said what but she hears one thing clearly.

"I love you too, Norma."

* * *

"I've screwed everything up."

Alex is angry, and frustrated, but he can't stay angry at Norma for more than a minute. He tries to understand her reasoning and even tells her they'll handle it together but he's not entirely convinced having Norman back at the house so soon is the right thing to do.

He hugs her and places a kiss on her forehead as they sit on the sofa, his eyes on the black screen of the new TV he bought, their breathing the only sound minutes after she said ' _I love you'_.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Norma breaks the silence, raising her head from his chest and looking at him with such a pleading and expectant expression on her face that even though the last thing he wants to do now is watch a movie, he answers yes just to see her smile and the worry lift off her beautiful face.

They eat, watch a movie in relative silence and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Norma is in her bedroom, waiting for Alex to finish packing his clothes in the other room before joining her. She told him it was best if he moved out for a couple days, until she could tell Norman their marriage is real. He nodded, visibly hurt, but agreed to it.

"I'm sorry." She had apologized.

"That's ok. I figured you'd want that." He had muttered.

He enters their bedroom and Norma stands up quickly from her vanity and walks over to the bed. Alex flops onto it, exhaling loudly. She looks at him; he's setting his cell phone alarm without looking at her and she thinks he's still angry at her, even if he said he wasn't. She gets into bed expecting to be ignored but as soon as she settles under the covers she feels his strong arms encircling her.

She closes her eyes and lets the feeling of being safely wrapped in his hug wash over her. She has never felt more protected, more desired and more cherished than with Alex. She feels like crying; she doesn't want Alex to leave, but there's her son's health to think about, and she will sacrifice a few nights alone for his well-being. He will adjust to the idea of her being married and then Alex can come home again.

Her hands are moving slowly over his arms. She yearns for his kisses, for his touch, for _him_.

"Alex, I want you."

He was already hard; she could feel him against her thigh. He surges next to her, positioning himself on top of her and kissing her with fervor.

He can't get enough of her. He can't ever lose her. He wants to love her so he shows her. His seduction this time is daring and bold, teasing and unrelenting, and by the time they're both completely nude Norma is already trembling and begging.

Alex brings her to the peak many times with his hands and tongue only to keep her there, teetering at the edge of release, but not allowing her to fall. He is fascinated by her need, her vulnerability and the honest and raw desire he sees on her face.

When he cannot withstand the torture anymore, for it is torture not to be enveloped in her warmth, he lets instinct take over and buries his hardness in her wet and swollen sex. He doesn't stop moving until she's convulsing under him, digging her nails into his back, and her walls gripping him to the point of delicious discomfort.

"I love you, I love you, I love you…" He pants with each potent thrust after he starts moving again.

"Come for me, Alex." She whispers next to his ear and he can't hold back anymore, and allows himself to fall over the edge too.

He's still throbbing inside of her when he feels her tightening against him again, a second orgasm hitting her towards the end.

The aftermath is soft and gentle, a perfect contrast from their previous passion just minutes ago. Soft butterfly kisses pressed into still quivering skin, _I love you'_ s whispered and smiles shared as they embrace.

Tomorrow he'll move out. Tonight it's just them in this moment and time; nothing more.

* * *

Norma watches from the porch as Alex takes his bags to his car. He comes back to say goodbye and they hug each other tightly.

"I'm sorry about this, Alex. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not forever." They both smile at his words, the same ones he said the day they got married but that now hold a different meaning.

"No."

"Just call me if you need anything, okay?"

She nods. They kiss. He leaves.

* * *

TBC…

 _Note: Sorry for the bummer ending. There's still some happy moments ahead, don't worry._


	7. Time

**A/N: This chapter is a little different because sadly, they didn't get many scenes together in the remaining episodes, so I used some of her scenes with Norman to try to fill in the blanks. Also, this is the last one. I know it was unannounced but it happened like that, but as a sorry, I made it really long. Thank you all for the lovely reviews that keep me writing. Hope you like this one.**

* * *

Norma can't sleep. The temperature in the room is freezing. She looks at the empty space on her bed; the side where Alex used to sleep next to her and she turns her head away quickly. She can't think now of the vacant spot left by his absence because it makes the chill on her skin feel worse. It makes sense that she feels cold; there's no one to hold her tonight. She misses Alex so much.

Not even when Norman offers to sleep on her bed; like they used to do many times before, does she feel better. Something has changed and both of them can feel it. This is the bed she shared with Alex and it feels strange to have her teenage son and not her husband lying on it next to her. Neither of them hugs nor cuddles the other; each turning on their side and trying to find sleep.

* * *

She's elated when Alex calls her early the next morning and even happier when they make plans to see each other later.

"I love you."

"Yeah. I love you, too." Alex replies but he knows exactly when her attention has turned back to Norman and she hangs up the phone hastily.

She goes downstairs to make breakfast. Norman has already started the coffee machine.

"You got new curtains." Norman mentions.

"Yeah. I made them myself."

"I kind of like the old curtains."

He asks her if Alex had to live in the house. She answers with an affirmative. She gets up from the table to grab her cup of coffee when she becomes nervous of his questioning, and because she's remembering another conversation about said curtains right here on this kitchen. Alex had loved the new curtains; he also made love to her right there on the kitchen counter.

"We actually became good friends." Norma mentions softly; _understatement of the year_ , she thinks.

They finish their breakfast and she gets ready to run a few errands.

* * *

"Hi. I missed you." Norma exclaims as soon as she sees Alex in his house. She kisses him lightly on the lips and holds his hands. He reciprocates her kisses and intertwines their fingers together but he's not in as good a mood as she's in.

"What?" She asks concerned.

"Did you know Norman came to see me this morning?"

She is surprised, scared, and then angry at hearing what her son told Alex.

"I think you have to tell him the truth, Norma. That we're together and that we love each other and it is not gonna change."

"Okay, but it's too soon."

"Waiting is only going to make it worse. I mean, what are you trying to accomplish here?"

"I will know when the time is right." She replies.

She's not entirely happy about either of them forcing her to make a decision. There's nothing Norma hates more than being told what to do. She feels like a caged animal and all she wants to do is escape.

Alex is frustrated too. He just wants to be with her and her reasoning for waiting doesn't make a lot of sense to him. But now he has to go back to work.

"I'm not giving you up." She tells him as he goes out the door.

"Well, then you got to tell him."

She watches from his porch as he gets into his SUV and drives off. She then goes to her car and takes out the container with food she brought for him. She knows he never used to eat healthy and just because he's not living at the house at the moment doesn't mean she can't keep feeding him. Last night she cooked enough food for three people; Norman, herself and Alex, with the clear intention of saving something for him. She places the plastic container in his fridge and leaves a written note on the table.

 _'There's a bowl with homemade chicken pot pie in your fridge. Please don't eat any of those frozen things you used to. I love you, Norma.'_

* * *

"I like him." Norma tells Norman at the Christmas tree park.

They've been fighting and she thinks is best if she eases him into the reality of her relationship with Alex. But with a simple sentence she basically told him she's been sleeping with Alex because she wanted to, not because she had to, like he thinks. Norman has a very strong physical reaction to her news, but she wants to believe is because of his system still getting used to the meds.

Back at the house Norma suggest they go sleep at the motel since the heater is still broken. Norman is not talking to her, he chooses to stay in room 12, the farthest away from her possible. She texts Alex.

' _I'll be spending the night down at the motel. Room 1. House is still freezing. Norma._ '

' _Ok. I'll swing by later._ ' He texts back.

* * *

When Alex arrives at the motel room Norma is softly crying and his heart breaks for her.

"I told him."

"How do you feel?"

"It was hard."

He can see a tear running down her cheek and he catches it with his thumb and then pulls her into a hug.

"Why do you have the magical ability to make me feel calm?" She whispers feeling already safer and relaxed in his arms.

He says the most ridiculous thing he could think of just to make her laugh; to make her forget whatever is making her sad. He tells her he's a unicorn. It has the desired effect: she laughs and then they're kissing.

They start to undress each other, unaware that they're being watched. On the other side of the wall Norman cries as he spies his mother about to have sex with a man he hates; a man he thinks is taking his mother away from him. He storms out the motel's office after Alex unclasps Norma's bra and he sees her letting it fall to the ground.

Norma lies back on the bed and Alex follows her, laying his body carefully on top of hers. He kisses the tip of her nose, the corner of her mouth, and her chin.

"Thank you for the food you left at my house."

"You're welcome. Did you eat it?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I did. I was just arriving home when I got your text." He kisses her fully on the mouth. "I'm glad to be here with you. I missed you last night."

"I missed you too." She runs her arms down his back, grabbing his ass through his underwear and pushing her hips up to meet him.

They kiss, her soft lips seeking his, and his hands traveling to hold her face. She opens her mouth to him and he lets his tongue caress hers. His kisses start a path down her neck to the peaks of her breasts and Norma throws her head back, which only makes Alex keep going lower until he reaches the pearly colored satin of her underwear and slowly takes them off her body.

He rids himself of his last piece of clothing and quickly gets in position between her spread legs but she stops him with both hands on his chest and he is suddenly confused. He looks at her questioningly.

"I want to be on top." She simply states and a wide grin forms in Alex's face.

They change positions and when she is poised on top of him, his hardness being pressed between their bodies, she rolls her hips a little and bites her bottom lip making Alex shiver in anticipation. His hands grip her hips, fingers squeezing the flesh with need. She looks down at him, and puts each arm next to his head, bending over him.

"I love you." She whispers on his ear.

"I love you too, baby."

"And I love when you call me 'baby'."

His hands caress the curve of her ass and up her waist and her back and she quivers. Norma sits up again and takes him in her hand, stroking him a few times before guiding him into her, his hand firmly holding her hip, urging her on.

They both sigh in relief at being reunited this way again. Their coupling is passionate. Norma moves her hips in a sensual motion that is driving Alex crazy. Long moments pass and her movements become erratic and desperate, her sounds going to full throat moans. Alex is close, so close. He presses a thumb to her clit to help her along and after a minute she goes quiet, her head thrown back, nipples hard and pointing to the ceiling and then there's one more sound; a beautiful long moan when she convulses on top of him, her inner muscles contracting around him so hard it takes him over too, and he comes inside of her.

She collapses on top of him with ragged breaths. He rubs her back until he feels her breath becoming normal again.

"Are you leaving?" She asks moment later from her relaxing position against his chest. She's situated between his spread legs, her back to his chest, as he reclines against the headboard. Her naked breasts are fully visible, the sheet only covering their lower bodies.

"Not if you don't want me to." He murmurs against her ear.

"I don't want you to."

"Ok. I'll stay. Will have to leave early to go home and get ready for work. I'll try not to wake you."

He kisses the side of her neck. They hold hands and lace their fingers together, spreading their arms in the air like a bird taking flight. He then hugs her with both his arms and hers. It's a complete hug, four arms, against her naked chest. She turns her head a little to be able to kiss him.

"Alex… I wish we could just erase all the bad things that have happened."

"Don't be sad. We can't erase the past, but we can create a future. It's why I gave you my mother's ring. It's from the past, but I want it to be part of my future, and yours."

He has her hand in his, his finger lightly tracing the ring on her finger and he can't see that her expression is of pure awe. She turns around, sitting sideways, and putting her hands on his chest. He can now see the surprised look on her eyes.

"You… you gave me your mother's ring?"

He smiles sheepishly. "Yeah."

Norma's eyes water as she places her fingers on his face, the way she likes to do when she kisses him.

"I love you, Alex."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Norma is so nervous. She just wants the two most important men in her life to get along. She called Alex earlier today and asked him to come over for dinner. As soon as he arrives he makes her feel calm, telling her everything will be okay and for a moment, she believes him.

The evening did not go as planned. She knows she has fed Norman's need for her for many years, and yet she's also angry that he thinks she could stop loving him or love him any less just because she fell in love. _There's room in the human heart for more than one person. It doesn't diminish the love that's already there. S_ he tries to explain to him.

In the middle of dinner Norman screams at her, calls her a hypocrite and tells her he can't believe she now claims to love somebody else aside from him. He accuses her of being manipulated by Alex and suddenly she's fed up with his jealousy and his childish ways.

"Get this through your head. No one is making me do anything! I'm a grown woman! I love him, he loves me and that is it! And you have to deal with it!"

Norman storms out. Norma stays inside while Alex goes out to deal with him. When they come back, her son runs upstairs and slams the bedroom door. Her husband informs her he's not leaving the house tonight.

Norma goes upstairs and then comes back down with sheets and blankets for a make shift bed on the couch for Alex.

"I, uh, I think is better this way." She doesn't want to add more fuel to the fire and right now they are all on edge as it is.

"Yeah. I don't care where I sleep. I just want to be here to keep an eye on him."

She kisses him lightly on the lips. He's still angry, wired up by his fight with Norman and worried about protecting Norma but he kisses her too. They share a soft kiss, just lips touching, nothing that will lead to anything more passionate that they can't do anything about tonight. Although to be fair, neither of them is in the mood for anything else beside a goodnight kiss.

She leaves him in the living room and goes upstairs. Her feet feel heavy under her, she's a little light headed, and her heart beats tight against her chest.

* * *

Norma wakes up from a restless night and stays in bed for a moment thinking how she's going to make this right. She always finds a way to fix every one of her problems, by either attacking it or ignoring it, but she does.

She goes downstairs in a positive mood but quickly finds out Alex is not. He didn't sleep. They argue about Norman and whether or not he should be back in Pineview. In the end, they make up.

"I'm taking him to see Dr. Edwards today. I'll call you later, okay?" She says sweetly.

"Ok."

"You sure you don't want to take a shower here?"

"No. I'll go home and get ready there."

They share a sweet embrace and a loving kiss until Alex feels another person's presence and he looks up to see Norman creepily watching them, throwing dagger eyes at him. Norma sees her son too and becomes instantly nervous. Alex leaves.

* * *

Norma calls Alex, as promised, from Pineview but the tension quickly mounts again. Alex wants Norman in the facility, but Norman doesn't want to be there, and the situation puts Norma between the two of them again.

She hangs up the phone as soon as she sees her son come out of the building. Driving back to White Pine Bay, Norman can't keep quiet anymore about his mother's ring. He noticed it from the first moment he saw her picking him up two days ago but now wants to make his dislike of it clear.

"I see the sheriff got you a ring."

"What? Oh yes." She's so concentrated on driving that for a moment is caught off guard by Norman's conversation. She looks at the ring on her hand. "He did, yes. That's what you do when you get married."

"Are you going to bring him back into the house?" He asks petulantly.

"Norman, please don't start. Put on some music, and let me drive."

* * *

She cannot believe what Dylan is telling her. They can't go behind her back to try and take Norman away from her. She also can't accept that her son is dangerous. A mother can never think of her son as a killer, no matter the amount of evidence against him. This is her child. She hurts Dylan to drive him away. He hurts her too.

The fight with Dylan breaks her mother's heart in two. Choose to believe one son and condemn the other to a cell or lose her eldest in order to protect her youngest. She decides to protect the one she believes is her weakest progeny.

On the heels of that painful choice she goes to talk to Alex. Norman doesn't stop her, he's sure she will at least, defend him in front of her husband. He's winning her back.

But when Norma comes back her son can tell she's broken, like the fight has left her body. What happened? Has the sheriff convinced her to put him back in Pineview? He doesn't know that she and Alex had a fight. That she told him she could never trust him again. That ever since leaving his office she has felt dead inside.

"Mother?" He asks as he sees her in front of the open fridge, the light from inside bathing her silhouette in darkness against the brightness. A perfect metaphor for what she feels right now: a dark spot in a world of light. Her life will always be a stain in the universe.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"It's okay. Another day, another dollar, whatever." She replies in the saddest monotone, her eyes filling up with tears.

Then she's hyperventilating, doubling over by the pain. She's sobbing loudly, gasping for air. He runs to her, helping her up. He can put her back together, he thinks he can. She holds on to him like he's a raft in the open water.

He wonders if she's crying for him, or over _him_. The latter being the sheriff.

* * *

 _'Dear Alex – I will always love you no matter what. I'm truly sorry. Love, Norma.'_

She cries as she writes the letter and as she takes off the ring from her finger and places both inside the envelope which she addresses to him: Alex. The only man she has ever loved and who truly loved her back. There's no doubt in her heart of these two facts. But some things are just not meant to be; her entire existence has been a continuous lesson on it. She might as well accept defeat.

* * *

Alex is driving to his house after work, but at the last minute, turns toward the motel's direction. He has to talk to her; he has to make sure she understands that he's not trying to take her son away from her. More importantly, he needs to know she's okay. Even if she's still angry with him, he just wants to know she's safe.

* * *

One hour later Alex is still in shock, watching from Norma's porch as the ambulance and the funeral vehicle take the two bodies away.

"Sheriff? You need to come see this."

* * *

Alex can finally breathe more easily. The police investigation regarding the furnace accident is coming along nicely. And he can finally sleep in his own bed instead of standing vigil next to a hospital bed.

The initial recovery was hard; not only from the toxic inhalation but from receiving the news upon waking up three days later that her son had died in the gassing of the house. Norma had released only one guttural scream; but one that tore from the deepest parts of her shattered heart. She clutched at her stomach as if she could still feel the life inside of her being ripped out, the child she carried, the cord that once connected them and that now was figuratively and irrevocably broken at last.

Then came silence. No more screams, no more tears. Just a dull pain behind her once vivacious blue eyes.

Alex explained everything to her. He even showed her the letter Norman had written; his suicide letter. His obvious connection to the police department allowing him to make a copy so he could show it to her, the original being held as evidence by the investigation.

Her eyes went through each word her son had written explaining he was ending both their lives so they could be together forever. It almost read as a love letter dedicated to her. In it he also mentioned he was sorry for having, 'very probably, killed someone.' When she finished reading it she closed her eyes.

"You were right." Her voice sounded raw from screaming and crying.

"I didn't want to be right. I wanted to help him and I wanted to protect you." He had told her. He hoped he believed him, it was the truth.

Norma is being released from the hospital today. Alex drives her to the house and when she mentions she'd like to be alone he's terrified for a second. He wasn't expecting them going back to live happily inside their bubble as she angrily mentioned a week ago, after everything that's happened, but he doesn't want to leave her alone with her sad thoughts. He knows her emotional recovery will be harder that the physical one.

Even in her pain she can see he's worried about her; unable to leave her just like that.

"I'm not going to kill myself, Alex."

"Please let me stay. I won't bother you. I'll sleep on the couch, but please don't ask me to leave you alone. Not now."

"Ok. Fine."

She opens the door and steps in, going upstairs without taking a look back at him.

* * *

Today is Norman's funeral. Norma wears a simple black dress and puts on makeup if only to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She doesn't want to think. She's burying her son today.

When she goes downstairs she finds Alex in a black suit and black tie waiting for her. They do not speak. Alex doesn't know if she blames him for Norman's death; or the fact that he provided the information on the repairman that had visited the Bates' house. The man gave his testimony to the police, and assured them he had warned the residents that there was a faulty gas line that shouldn't be fired up.

The police searched down the entire house and the motel while Norma was still in the hospital and found enough evidence in the recovery of Audrey Decody's suitcase from the attic and Norman's DNA on it to start an investigation into his involvement in her disappearance. Norman's letter and the repairman's testimony all but made him guilty of Norma's attempted murder.

There's no one at the burial but Norma and Alex. They haven't had time to find Dylan after he left without leaving an address. Alex stays by her side until the coffin is lowered to the ground. Tears fall silently down her face and for a moment, she lays her head on his shoulder. He rubs her back as a soothing gesture and then takes a few steps back to give her privacy. After laying white flowers on the ground she starts walking slowly towards the car. Alex joins her not far behind.

"I don't blame you. For any of this." She murmurs when they're inside the car.

* * *

Slowly Norma starts to come back to Alex. One day she lets him touch her hand while they're sitting at the table having dinner. They haven't said anything about their relationship but they keep living together. He has moved to Dylan's old room again and goes to work every day and returns to her every night.

Another day she sits next to him to watch TV although he's sure her mind is not paying attention to anything on screen. He takes care of her each day though; he buys groceries and is vigilant that she's eating. He brings her flowers almost every day not as a romantic gesture but because he knows she loves them. He leaves them in wrapping paper on top of the kitchen table and is pleased to see that every time the flowers end up in a vase, carefully arranged.

They talk about mundane things. Hours turn to days and days turn to weeks. Then one day she announces she needs to talk to him. Alex's heart skips a beat on his chest. He will respect her decision if she wants him out of her life; but it will kill him.

"Alex, I want you to know that is not that I can't live without you. I can. But I don't want to."

His minds wraps around what she is saying.

"Life has always given me things only to take them back from me; my sons, happiness, love. I lost my kids, I almost lost my life. I don't want to lose you."

He stands in front of her without moving and only when she walks to stand in front of him, and he feels her soft hands gently wiping away his tears, does he realize he's crying.

* * *

 _One year later…_

Norma comes into the kitchen holding her phone in her hand. The wedding ring on her finger catching the morning light and shining brightly.

"You're not going to believe this." She tells Alex with a surprised expression on her face.

"What?" He asks from the backroom in the kitchen, where he is repairing the screen door. It's Saturday morning, he doesn't have to go into work today.

"Emma just called to tell me I'm going to be a grandmother!"

Her face lights up with joy and Alex joins her in the kitchen. They hug.

"Wow! That's amazing. Are you happy?"

"Yes! Are you kidding? I'm gonna be a grandma! And you're gonna be a grandpa!"

"I guess that means we're officially old." Alex teases her.

"Talk about yourself. I plan to be a very chic, fashionable, 42 year young grandma."

"Yes, you will." He says hugging her more tightly and kissing her.

"I'm going out to run a few errands. Do you need anything from the store?"

"No. I'll be fine. Actually, can you get me a six pack? It's getting warmer and I want a beer."

"If you want a beer, then why do you need a six pack?" It's her turn to tease him.

"We're celebrating Dylan and Emma's news today!"

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Don't stay too long." He speaks softly as she moves out of his arms and starts to walk away. She looks back at him, their coded conversation understood by both.

For the past year Norma has gone every Saturday morning to the cemetery to lay white flowers on Norman's grave. Alex knows her routine by now; at the beginning he used to follow her and watch her from afar to make sure she was okay. He had a hunch that she knew he was following her but neither ever said anything. After a few months, he just let her have this moment of solitude with her son's memory. He watched her many times to know that each time, she kneels on the ground and picks at the dirt and the grass, placing the new flowers on the vase and then stands up. She then cleans the tombstone's surface that simply reads "Norman Bates, loving brother and son" with a handkerchief, places a kiss on top of it, turns around and leaves.

"I won't. I promise." She smiles lovingly at him. Her eyes will now forever hold a hint of sadness in them, but her happiness is plentiful and her heart is full of love: for her husband, for her dead son, for the prodigal son who returned to her life a year ago, for her daughter-in-law and her soon to be born grandchild.

Alex hears her heels clicking on the hardwood floor and he runs after her, catching her at the door.

"Hey, I forgot to say this: I love you."

He wraps her again in his arms, kissing her lips gently.

"I love you, too. Forever."

She kisses him again, less gentle and full of love.

"What do you say we go out tonight? I hear they're playing that old movie you love again at the theater and it's a double feature or something." He offers.

"Yes. I'd love that."

"We have all the time in the world, right?"

She smiles. That's another one of their coded conversations. It's like a wedding vow to them now, whenever they mention it, it means they love each other and that they'll protect and cherish each other until they die. They don't remember how they came up with it, probably some silly drunken night, but it stuck.

"All the time in the world. A lifetime."

Norma promises and kisses him again. He kisses her back.

* * *

The End.

 _A/N: I know the ending is not canon, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't stick with the events of episode 409 so I changed it a bit. I don't think you'll be too mad about it. ;)_


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